Ashiana flats vacant as Huda fails to find right occupants

File photoGURGAON: Seeing that there are absolutely no takers for the low-cost Ashiana flats of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda), the last date has been extended by a month. The last date for submission of applications for allotment of flats ends on Sunday, October 30, but till Saturday Huda did not receive a single application.

Ashinana flats were constructed five years ago for the economically weaker sections (EWS).

But to date not a single flat, built by Huda in Gurgaon and Rewari for EWS, could apparently be allotted to the beneficiaries, as Huda has apparently failed to identify eligible recipients.

In a fresh attempt to allot the flats, Huda had in September invited applications from people for allotment of about 1,500 houses in Gurgaon and Rewari. About 1,088 flats located in a prime location in Gurgaon’s Sector 47 and another 408 flats in Sector 18 in Rewari. Again it failed to attract buyers, forcing Huda to extend the date of submission of applications.

The low-cost housing for EWS was approved and started by Huda in October 2009, under its Ashiana project of its integrated housing and slum-dwellers programme, to provide hygienic living space with basic amenities to slum-dwellers. Under it, Huda constructed about 9,990 low-cost units in urban areas of the state, including Gurgaon and Faridabad, with allotment preference given to encroachers of government land who had approached the courts for regularisation of long-existing colonies and provision of alternative shelter before eviction.

A total of 1,088 units were constructed in Gurgaon at a cost of Rs 40 crore — the first lot of 560 units in 2010 while 528 units were constructed in 2014-15.

A report submitted in the state assembly in 2015 had mentioned that of the 204 applications were received from Gurgaon, none were found to be eligible.

The project went ahead nevertheless, without a proper survey and assessment of eligible persons according to the criteria fixed by Huda, the report noted.

This time Huda has clearly mentioned the eligibility criteria while inviting applications. The Ashiana flats will be allotted to slum dwellers, people who have encroached upon government and staying at that place for more than five years, people with BPL card and EWS.

“We have extended the date of receiving applications and after scrutiny the units will be allotted to eligible people through a draw,” said Huda administrator Yashpal Yadav.

The units are available in two sizes — 30.60 square metres and 34.30 square metres — and they will cost Rs 3.7 lakh and Rs 3.90 lakh respectively. “Eligible people can pay in easy instalments of 20 years,” an official said, adding that these flats can bot given on rent and sold out for at least 20 years.